Thursday, December 27, 2012

A voluntary nationwide recall of three additional lots of hydrocodone bitartrate and acetaminophen tablets, usp 10 mg/500 mg due to the potential for oversized and superpotent tablets has been issued. If you or a loved one take this medication, click the headline for details.

Monday, December 24, 2012

I made a little video of my cats playing with some holiday things, if you want to see it here. Just for fun, here are a few more Christmas cat videos (this and also this) to bring you some good cheer. I'll be back after New Year's Day.

Friday, December 21, 2012

If you are one of the more than 13,000 patients who received a spinal injection of tainted steroids but you haven’t gotten sick, Center for Disease Control officials are warning you may have an infection that you don’t know about.

If you were informed by your doctor that your shot was from one of the three batches of contaminated medication and you are having any symptoms - such as new or worsening pain at the injection site - you need to contact your doctor as soon as possible about running an MRI scan to check for hidden infections.

Researchers have run an experiment in which they did MRIs on 128 patients who were part of the outbreak population but who hadn’t gotten sick with meningitis. All had pain at the injection site and the MRIs revealed that more than half of them (52%) had some type of infection including abscesses, a type of nerve inflammation called arachnoiditis or even infections of the bone in the spine.

Please click HERE to read more details. I send my prayers to all of you, particularly in this holiday season, for health and easing of pain.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

It’s time for Tuesday-Newsday! The featured blog post this week is, “Staying Positive in a Life With Pain” by Shauna of the blogsite: ShaunasLifeinPain.com

Let Me Know: If you’d like me to watch for articles on your pain condition, just drop me a note in the comments section below.

WARNING: My goal is to provide the most up-to-date news I can, which you can then take to your personal doctor and debate the merits of before you try it. I do not endorse any of the docs, treatments, info, and meds in anything I post nor can I guarantee they are all effective, especially not for everyone. As is the case with any health info, ALWAYS get your doctor's opinion first!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

The holidays are filled with family, friends, faith, food, fun, and festivities. We as pain patients have a particular responsibility to protect our loved ones - we need to safeguard our medications to prevent any thefts or tragedies. With many people visiting our homes for celebrations, we must take precautions.

Last year, a friend of mine had her ex-husband over for dinner. After what she said was a surprisingly nice evening, he spent a rather long interval in the bathroom and then immediately left. She thought nothing of it until later, when she went to the medicine cabinet and found he had stolen every Vicodin pill he could find. Thank goodness she still had some stored in a safer location so she could keep on her dosing regimen.

Unfortunately, my friend isn’t the only one leaving her meds so easily accessible. A national survey in 2010 of more than 1,000 adults showed that an overwhelming majority of Americans (94%) understand it is extremely or very important to safely store and dispose of prescription medication, but many are not doing enough to protect those drugs. More than two-thirds (68%) indicated they keep prescription meds in an unlocked cabinet, closet, drawer, or other area. Most frequently, survey respondents said they store medications in the bathroom (53%) and kitchen (49%) — easily within reach in two of the most vulnerable, high-traffic areas.

It could take only one pill to irreparably harm or even kill another person. We have to do the right thing and take precautions. Additionally we really need our meds, and keeping them easily accessible could end up with a theft that leaves us short of pills that we desperately need to treat our health conditions and chronic pain.

So what can we do? I use a medication safe to keep my prescriptions out of reach from everyone. The website Pain-Topics.org also offers these suggestions:

~ Use a locked storage container for prescription medications at greater risk of being abused, such as pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and depressants. These drugs are prime targets for theft by anyone who enters your home, so extra precautions should be taken.

~ Take a complete inventory of all prescription medications in your household at least twice a year, such as when you change your clocks in the spring and fall.

Additional information is available at the website Safeguard My Meds on proper medication storage, including downloadable print, video, and online materials. Visitors are also encouraged to take a “Personal Responsibility Pledge” and make a commitment to always safeguard their prescription medications.

Don’t let a medicine theft or even worse, the drug overdose of a child, happen on your watch. Take the time to do a little research and planning to secure your meds both for them and for you.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

It’s time for Tuesday-Newsday! In preparation for the Holidays, I’m featuring two blog posts this week. Although both are from a Fibro/CFIDS site, the information isn’t limited to people with just those conditions. Anyone with chronic pain and/or illness will benefit from the ideas and suggestions presented: “Surviving the Holidays: Give yourself the G.I.F.T. of a stress-free holiday” and “How to Enjoy Special Events and Minimize the Price.”

Let Me Know: If you’d like me to watch for articles on your pain condition, just drop me a note in the comments section below.

WARNING: My goal is to provide the most up-to-date news I can, which you can then take to your personal doctor and debate the merits of before you try it. I do not endorse any of the docs, treatments, info, and meds in anything I post nor can I guarantee they are all effective, especially not for everyone. As is the case with any health info, ALWAYS get your doctor's opinion first!

Although both these posts are from the non-profit organization CFIDS & Fibromyalgia Self-Help, the information isn’t limited to people with just those conditions. Anyone with chronic pain and/or illness will benefit from the ideas and suggestions presented:

Saturday, December 8, 2012

I’d like to share a blog post from last December. I think this repost will provide great advice for dealing with chronic pain flare-ups from holiday activities by using those fantastic seasonal movies as a distraction technique.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

It’s time for Tuesday-Newsday! I’ve chosen two blog posts to feature this week, and both are from the PainSupport Newsletters by Jan Sadler: “Christmas is Coming... Be Flexible & Adaptable,” and “Take your Time at Christmas.”

Let Me Know: If you’d like me to watch for articles on your pain condition, just drop me a note in the comments section below.

WARNING: My goal is to provide the most up-to-date news I can, which you can then take to your personal doctor and debate the merits of before you try it. I do not endorse any of the docs, treatments, info, and meds in anything I post nor can I guarantee they are all effective, especially not for everyone. As is the case with any health info, ALWAYS get your doctor's opinion first!

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Recycling has become a big part of our society and this time of year shouldn’t be any different. Just because the Holidays are here doesn’t mean we have to go out and buy tons of new gifts - what we already have could be just the perfect item for someone. The last couple of weeks I’ve been finding it hard to get into a festive mood, but this particular subject has really brought me around. It amazes me how the act of giving can lift my mood. Nothing makes me happier than surprising a person with something they really like or need. Giving is some of the best medicine there is.

As one who lives with chronic pain, it can be difficult to rein myself in from trying to keep up with the frenetic pace of others during this season. I know what will happen if I push myself too hard physically. But there’s really no reason to do that. You and I can have a different goal. Even though we can’t shop like a bargain-hunting warrior all night on Black Friday, even though we can’t bake acres of goodies and literally frost ourselves into a corner, we absolutely *can* still give of ourselves - often with things we already have - and truly brighten lives and uplift spirits.

A few years ago, a local market in our area started a new promotion. Every purchase earned you points toward rewards. One of the reward options at the end of the year was a free turkey. I convinced a few friends and coworkers to give me their free turkeys and I donated them to a local food bank. It didn’t cost any of us a dime, but we were able to feed many people with such a simple act. Search in your community. See if you can find any such similar rewards system at any local market or department store, and give what you earn to a deserving place.

My local YMCA, where I am a member, goes through a lot of towels. Approximately every two months, instead of throwing away the torn and holey towels, the Y gives them to me in two huge bags. I take them to my veterinarian friend’s no-kill cat shelter where they are used for many purposes. Last Christmas, I was in the YMCA locker room talking about my recent trip to the shelter to deliver towels and one of the ladies interrupted me. She said she had received all new towels as a Christmas gift for her newly painted bathroom. She offered to donate all her old towels since they no longer matched her decor. She wanted them to help comfort the needy cats & kittens on their way to a second chance at life. Her words moved other ladies in the locker room that day, and I ended up with an extra bag filled to bursting with towels, blankets and even money for the shelter. Ask your local animal shelter what they need in the way of donations. If they want towels, check with any gyms or sport clubs in your town and see if they will follow suit with my YMCA and donate used towels to your cause.

How many pieces clothes are in your closet which you never wear, but you just can’t get rid of because they’re in great shape? I am one of those people. Our local homeless shelter serves families and helps them get back on their feet by providing training for new careers. One of the many things they need are clothes for job interviews. A friend at our church goes once a month to help organize the clothes and accessories, and she uses her fashion sense to put outfits together. Imagine... your cast-off blazer, skirt, scarf, and earrings could be the only thing needed to help one parent make a good solid start for their family. How amazing must it feel to be part of that (re)cycle? You could be the one thing that affects the change to bring them something new and hopeful for the future.

Ever since the tragedy of 9/11, I more deeply realize all the sacrifices and risk that firefighters take every day on our behalf. My mom and I decided we will honor our local firefighters every Christmas Eve when these brave individuals are apart from their loved ones, working all night to protect and serve. Every year, we choose a fire station in our city and we bake goodies for them. By myself, I could not do it because working in the kitchen is painful. But together, we are able to work as a team. Get your own team of friends & family together and spread out the work to keep your pain under control. However, you could also use the recycling concept. If you receive food gifts like candy or other goodies that you don’t want or cannot eat because you have food allergies or dietary restrictions (like diabetes or gluten intolerance), collect those items and deliver them to the firefighters. They will be grateful for your offering and pleased to know their hard work is respected by the community.

Just because something is already used doesn’t mean it isn’t still incredibly useful. That’s a lesson we need to embrace. Our chronic pain may have made the “package” we’re in a little worn out and less shiny & new, but inside our hearts are full and ready to reach out. Our perceived “lack of perfection” does not diminish our ability to give.

"A good Garden may have some Weeds."

I like to think of Life as a Garden... with the blossoming flowers as our souls fed by the happiness we cultivate.

Chronic Pain is like a persistent weed that threatens to take over our garden when we have chronic pain/illness.

Although we may not be able to stop the invasion of weeds, we can find ways lessen their impact in our lives: to remove the weeds we can, to obstruct their growth by treating them, or to step over them & choose instead to focus on 'stopping to smell the roses'.

This blog is about living a joyful life despite chronic pain: by being educated on your pain condition, becoming a smart patient, finding inspiration, and then opening yourself up & finding creative ways to experience life.

About Me

I am believed to have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome III - Hypermobility Type, which is a painful genetic disease that affects collagen and connective tissues... but there are some doctors who say I likely have a mutation of EDS or another connective tissue disorder.
I love my husband and my cats!